Hometown Love (Love on the North Shore #2)(36)
“Okay. Strange. Jake insists it’ll get better, but I’m not convinced. What about you? I noticed your car at Mack’s again last night when I drove by.”
Jessie ran through the adjectives in her vocabulary. “It was nice.”
Charlie made a noise in the back of her throat and accepted her coffee. “That’s all? I hoped you’d say incredible or fantastic. For some reason, I imagined he’d be capable of more than just a nice night.”
Oh, it had been so much more than just nice. Jessie didn’t know why she’d settled on such an inappropriate word. “Both days I spent time with him and his daughter. They made me feel like part of their family.” She knew that sounded ridiculous. She’d only just reconnected with Mack. She wasn’t part of his family, but she could see herself that way.
“And when we were alone…” Jessie’s voice trailed off, and she shifted in her seat. “We only kissed, but it… I don’t know how to explain it. It felt like more than a kiss. Does that make any sense? I’ve been kissed before, not a lot, but it never made me feel like this.”
Charlie nodded. “I know what you mean. So what’s the problem?”
“I didn’t say there was a problem.” Jessie glanced at the table.
“You didn’t have to. If you’re attracted to him and like spending time with him, what’s the problem? Is it because he has a daughter?”
When she’d dated Jeremy, Charlie had been away from town and they hadn’t seen much of each other. In fact, Jessie hadn’t seen much of anyone. Those she had seen never knew how Jeremy treated her when they were alone.
“That doesn’t bother me. I just haven’t dated a lot.” No way was she going to admit she hadn’t been on a date since college. “The last relationship I was in, well, it didn’t go well.”
If Charlie found her statement odd, she kept the thought to herself. “So that happens. I dated a few losers before I met Jake. Everyone does.”
Only a handful of people knew the truth about Jeremy. Charlie never would have stood for Jeremy’s crap. She would’ve left him in a heartbeat.
“I never should have stayed with my ex-boyfriend as long as I did. It took me a long time to find myself again after I left him.”
A light bulb went on over Charlie’s head. “You don’t have to worry about that with Mack. We’ve both known him and his family for a long time. He’s a good guy. I say see where things go if you’re interested in him. The worst that’ll happen is you go back to being friendly acquaintances.”
Lifting the coffee she’d poured herself, she sighed. “I know you’re right. I’m still nervous.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t be a little nervous, just don’t let it stop you. Take things one day at a time and see where they go.” Charlie gave her a mischievous smile. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll be here next year getting ready for you’re wedding.”
The comment was so uncharacteristic of Charlie, Jessie burst out laughing.
“I knew I could get you to loosen up.” Charlie picked up her own coffee again, a pleased expression on her face.
With a roll of her eyes, Jessie shifted the conversation from her love life. “Enough about me. Let’s talk about you. Your life’s a lot more interesting.”
“Not much new going on. Jake and I started looking for a new place.”
Jessie thought the townhouse they lived in now was beautiful. She didn’t see why they’d want to move. “What is Jake up to today? Did Sean leave him a list of jobs?”
“You know Sean better than that. He’d never trust Jake to work on the house without him.” Charlie took a sip of her coffee. “He went to visit his cousin, Trent, in Providence.”
“I saw a picture of his cousin on the cover of The Star Report last week. He looks just like Jake. They could be brothers.”
Jessie and Charlie continued their conversation as they enjoyed the soup Jessie had prepared them. Again, Jessie marveled at how easily they’d fallen back into a close friendship despite the years they’d gone without seeing each other.
When Charlie left a few hours later, Jessie returned to the baskets of laundry waiting for her. As she went through the mundane task, her thoughts revisited Charlie’s advice. Her friend’s words reinforced what she already knew about Mack. While she knew Charlie had been joking about the wedding, it didn’t take any effort for her to envision spending her life with Mack and his daughter. That weekend, spending time with the two, had felt natural as if they’d done it a thousand times before. Had it been that way for him, too? She hoped so. Only time would tell.
Her doorbell rang. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Had Charlie forgotten something?
“Who is it?” While North Salem remained a safe town, it never hurt to stay cautious.
“It’s Mack, Jessie.”
Mack? Jessie checked her watch. It was only three in the afternoon. Curiosity mingled with her excitement and Jessie opened the door. Prepared to embrace him, she took a step forward, but then stopped. She knew he worked in law enforcement but she’d never seen him with a gun. The last time she’d seen him after a day of work, he’d had his golf shirt untucked, concealing his weapon. Today though, the handle protruded from the waistband of his black cargo pants, and an extra magazine sat on the other side. She’d seen guns before. Her grandfather, a retired Marine, had been an avid hunter when she’d been young. But the sight of the weapon on Mack drove home what a dangerous job he had.